Easy
by ddreamer4e
Summary: Buck and Wilma have been captured! A/N Most of my stories are stand alone and not associated to other stories
1. Chapter 1

Wilma could hear the struggle in the hall from where she was restrained in the cell. Her hands were chained to a beam in the ceiling, forcing her arms above her head and away from her body. She could just barely stand on the balls of her feet, but she had no slack.

She recognized Bucks voice, or more like his grunts, growls and cursing. He was not coming to her rescue that was for sure. But he was giving his escort a very hard time. From the sound of the scuffle there were at least 2 guards with Buck, probably more knowing Buck. She looked around cell, there didn't appear to be any other restraints hanging from the ceiling, or even attached to the walls. Wilma was certain Buck wouldn't be joining her but would be held in a separate cell.

But Wilma was wrong. Eventually the guards managed to drag Buck down the hall, open the door to her cell and shove Buck into the room. He landed face down in the middle of the room as the door slammed behind him.

"Buck, are you alright, are you hurt?" she asked.

Buck jumped to his feet, dusting himself off as he did.

"Me, I'm fine, there weren't enough of them to do me any damage, but what about you?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm just hanging around" she responded. Because she was suspended about a foot or more from the wall, Buck was able to walk completely around her.

"So, I see" He looked around for something to help crack open the shackles around her wrists. "Let me see if there's something around here to break those bracelets you're wearing"

"Don't bother, just give me a boost up" she told him.

"What do you mean a boost?"

"I just need to get a little higher up, if you want to get down and let me stand on your leg, if I can get just get up a little bit higher..."

Buck turned and looked at her with a quizzical look. But he shrugged his shoulders and walked around behind her. He grasped Wilma around the waist and lifted her up about a foot or more off the floor as if she were as light as a feather. Once she had some slack on her arms, she was able to work her left hand free, then her right. Buck gently lowered her to the ground.

Both pilots then started a very detailed examination of the cell. They were looking for any cracks in the walls, etc. to find a way out.

"Well there doesn't appear to be anything we can use to break down the door" Buck said. "I don't suppose you brought any explosives with you"

"Um, no. I wasn't planning on needing them this trip. What about you, any battering rams with you?" she replied.

About that time came the sound of whistling from the hallway. Buck and Wilma looked at each other and Buck shrugged his shoulders. But when they heard the iron bar across the door to the cell being dragged out of place they scrambled. Buck hoisted Wilma back up and she gripped the shackles that were hanging from the ceiling. Buck quickly took up a position behind the door. When the guard, or whoever was whistling, entered the room the first thing they would see would be Wilma, apparently still chained.

And that was the last thing he would see for quite a while. As he entered the cell, weapon at the ready in his hand, Buck struck from behind the door. One quick chop, and the weapon clattered to the floor. A right cross to the jaw and the guard was down for the count.

Wilma let go of the chains and walked over to stand above the man. She was perplexed. Buck picked up the hand weapon and peaked around the edge of the door, checking the corridor up and down.

"Hey that was easy, come on let's get out of here" Buck said. But Wilma didn't move, she still looking down at the guard, a perplexed look on her face. "It was TOO easy." she replied.

"You're complaining? Come on let's get out of here."

"No wait a minute, that really was too easy. Let me see that pistol"

Buck looked at her for a couple of seconds, then realized she was right. He looked at the weapon in his hand. It sure looked real, but it wasn't heavy enough, the balance was all wrong.

"Okay so why would they make it so easy for us to get out? Do you think they want to shoot in the act of escaping?"

"No" Wilma replied, "why go through with a charade, just kill us and tell the universe we were trying to escape. No, they want us to get out of here, but they needed us here for a reason, why else go to the trouble of capturing us? This is all too..."

"Can we discuss this somewhere else, like outside? Buck interrupted her.

"You're right let's go"

As they started for the door, Buck still had the fake pistol in his hand. "What are you bringing that for, it's worthless"

"I know that, and you know that, but if I need to point it at somebody, they may not know it's fake. Besides I think we should play along, not let them realize we know this is all a set up. At least until we can figure out what the game is"

Buck and Wilma made their way out the door and cautiously down the hall, staying as close to the wall as possible. Shortly the came to the open door to a large room. There was a desk in the middle with a guard sitting facing an exterior door and with his back to the hall they were in. Buck tiptoed up behind him, and whack! One quick chop to the back of his neck and he was out. Buck caught him as he fell and quietly lowered him to the floor. One quick glance around the room and the two of them were out the door and into a wooded area.

The terrains picked their way carefully through the undergrowth, pausing occasionally to listen for any signs that they were being followed. But there was nothing, it was eerily quiet. After some time, the emerged into a small-town area. There were several paved streets lined with buildings. Buck and Wilma assume a casual attitude and tried to blend in with the people in the area. At one point they passed a shop with a large window, and they paused apparently looking at the merchandize, but checking to see if they could detect anyone following them. But there didn't appear to be any one.

"Okay, this is weird. The only reason I could come up with for letting us escape was to follow us, but there doesn't look like they are." Said Buck

"But maybe they don't have to follow us to know where we are?" Wilma replied, and she looked pointedly at the weapon in Buck's waistband.

Buck turned away from the street and pulled the weapon out. "Yea, I bet you're right, and we played right into their hands"

"Well we can just leave the thing here and be on our way"

"No" said Buck. "I have a better idea."

Running behind the row of buildings was a track on which a transport traveled. While the two terrains were standing at the window, vehicles pasted frequently, quietly stopping at a small station for a couple of minutes before moving on.

"I saw this in a movie once" said Buck as he jogged over to the station area and as soon as a new vehicle pulled in, he entered. When the vehicle pulled out, Buck was standing beside the track, without the weapon.

"Now what?" he asked. "I don't think we can make our rendezvous it's too late. Do we go back to the space port and return to New Chicago? If we hurry, we may be able to make onto a shuttle out before they figure out that we weren't on that transport and start looking for us. I hate the idea of not completing the mission but .." he left the sentence hang

"No, I don't think we should go home yet. First let's find a place to spend the night. I'm not worried too much about the spaceport. It won't be too hard to sneak onto a shuttle even if they are watching the area. With any luck they will assume we have already left and will relax the search." Wilma replied

With that she led the way up the road towards the outskirts of the small settlement, there they found a small inn.

After checking in, they enjoyed a leisurely meal in the dining room being very careful to appear like just causal visitors to the area. The conversation was light, and as usual Buck could make Wilma smile.

Buck wasn't sure why, but he was restless, and sleep eluded him. He had never been able to master the self-hypnosis trick that Wilma used to go to sleep any time. He decided to get out of bed. The room wasn't large but there was a nice balcony, so Buck thought he would get some fresh air. He wasn't sure how long he was standing on the balcony at the rail, when he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye from the balcony next to him. He was pretty sure that was Wilma's room. He instinctively moved back into the shadows.

Wilma, wearing a lightweight robe, came out onto the balcony, stood at the rail, and looked around. Shortly thereafter a man, all in black, came out and joined her. He paused at the railing and surveyed the area below. He turned, pulled Wilma close and kissed her. And the next instant he was over the rail and on the ground down below. Buck strained his eyes, but the man was lost in the darkness. Wilma stood very still briefly then turned to go back inside "Good night Buck" she said as she left the balcony


	2. Chapter 2

Buck sat in Huer's office waiting for the conference to begin. Dr Huer usually met with Buck and Wilma after a mission. Even though they had already been through medical clearance and official debriefing Huer liked to hear directly from Buck and Wilma personally.

Wilma had been right about getting home. After leaving the inn they made their way to the spaceport. It wasn't hard to spot the members of the constabulary that had been their captures. The terrains had slipped through a side door and waited in an unused storage area until the shuttle was just about to take off. They slipped out of the storage room and onto the shuttle just as the door was closing without anybody noticing. They had both been quiet on the shuttle ride to the orbiting station where they had left their star fighters. Once at the station they had jumped into the waiting ships, made it through the stargate and home to New Chicago.

"Buck, it's good to see you again. I'm glad everything worked out on Athos." Huer said as he entered. Buck was confused as far as he knew they hadn't been able to meet with the security officer as planned. Before he could reply, Wilma entered the office.

"So how is Maxwell these days?" Huer asked looking at Wilma.

"He is doing well. Still very committed to his cause. He was very appreciative of the information that we were able to provide him. He feels it will be very helpful"

"He does know that we can't openly support his cause, right? Diplomatically we are trying to stay neutral."

"He understands, he wasn't part of the defense directorate for as long as he was without understanding the situation. Of course, he is very passionate about the cause of the people of Athos"

"Do you think there was a leak somewhere that authorities knew you were coming?" Huer asked

"Maybe, I wonder if someone on the orbiter tipped them off when we landed in our star fighters before we took the shuttle to Athos. They knew Buck and I weren't carrying anything of value, they searched us both thoroughly. If they guessed, we were meeting the insurgents it would explain the escape charade. Max said they undoubtedly thought we were meeting on the transport and when it returned to the same station they searched it without much luck. I wonder if they ever did find their weapon?"

"I think it might not be a bad idea to discreetly review the personal in that station." Huer replied.

"It might explain some of the issues that the Max and his group say they have had getting supplies." Wilma said

"Well I am happy that everything went, if not according to plan exactly, well." Huer added.

Wilma rose and said, "If you don't mind Dr Huer, I need to stop in at my office before I head back to my unit. If there's nothing else, you need I'll leave now"

"No, I think the official debrief was complete. Goodbye Col." he replied.

When Wilma had left Dr Huer turned to Buck. "Did you get a chance to meet Maxwell?" he asked

"No, actually I didn't" was all Buck said

"I think you would like him, he is in many ways a lot like you. He and Wilma came through flight school and up the ranks together and were very close. The two of them were our best pilots before he left for Athos and Col took over as head of the Defense directorate. They were very close, and many people felt sure they would make a match. I know Wilma, uh Col Derring, was devasted when he resigned to join the resistance on Athos."

After a little more conversation about Buck's impression of Athos, not good, and his plans for the next week or so, not much; Buck said good bye also to Dr. Huer

He returned to his own unit but could seem to settle down. He was on an emotional roller coaster. The fact that Wilma had a personal life outside of the directorate was good news. But the fact that this Max guy had hurt her was bad news. She needs someone to support her and be there for her he thought. But then he remembered the kiss, and he wasn't so sure about anything.

Wilma was surprised when Buck was announced as her visitor later that evening.

"Enter"

"Hey Buck, what's up?" she said, using one of his favorite idioms

It was lost on him though as he was very preoccupied.

"What happened at the Inn on Athos?" he asked without preamble

"I met Max there and gave him the information per our mission, the updated frequency and the coordinates for weapons cache. Why?"

"No, I mean what else happened?"

"Nothing that was germane to the mission". She said firmly.

"Was that Maxwell in your room that night?" Buck asked curtly

"Yes, when we didn't make the prearranged meeting, he knew how to find us." Wilma replied.

"So what else went on? How long was he there..."

"I don't believe that's any of your business" Wilma cut him off and she turned away from him.

Buck reached out and stopped Wilma, "I'm sorry that didn't sound right, I always thought you were married to you job, that you didn't have a personal life"

"Now you sound like Max"  
"Is that why you guys split up?"

Wilma sighed and looked up at Buck's face. She wasn't sure where this conversation was leading.

"Yes and no"

"Meaning what? Do you still love him?"

"Look Buck, I am not sure what difference it makes to either of us. My relationship with Max has been over for a while"

"But he hurt you when he left didn't he?"

Reluctantly Wilma answered him "Yes"

There was silence for a while, Buck waited patiently for Wilma to continue.

"I thought he loved me as much as I loved him, but I guess not. I thought he wanted the same things I wanted. But the lure of adventure was much stronger I guess. He really has no ties to the people of Athos, but he gets to play the hero, coming in to save the day."

There was another silence, and Wilma walked over to perch on the arm of the couch, away from Buck.

Buck waited for her to go on. "But you didn't go with him"

"No, I love, loved him, not the adrenal rush. I guess I should have known…" she let the sentence hang unfinished.

"I learned my lesson that's for sure, I am done with relationships" She said

Buck was quiet for a minute or two, digesting what she had said. He felt like a window had been opened and sunlight was streaming in.

"Why would you think that? He's not the only man in New Chicago, you just need to find the right guy, and I am applying for the job" he said

Wilma looked at him in surprise then shook her head.

"Buck you know it will never work for us. I can't compete with all the other women in your life, I don't want another broken heart, like you seem to do with so many others"

"Actually, I don't think I have broken any hearts in New Chicago. Yes, I have dated lots of women, but I don't think I've left a trail of broken hearts. I tried to part with everyone on good terms. Lots of the women I dated were interested in the "old man", lots of them were just looking for a good time." Buck paused and seem to look into the past.

"I guess I was like your Max way back when. I was always looking for excitement and thrills. That's why signed up for the Ranger program; for the adventure originally." Buck sighed and said with a smile, "And then I met Jennifer. Amazing how one person can change your entire outlook on life"

"I'm sorry Buck I didn't expect to remind you of your past and everything you've lost" Wilma said.

"It's okay, I am adjusting to living in this time and place. And just because I've lost Jennifer doesn't mean I want to find someone else. I know I will ever find anybody like her but that's okay too. I have reconciled to the fact that she died a very long time ago. I hope she was able to move on with her life after my Ranger 3 mission went bad, that she found love again." Buck moved over to the couch where Wilma was sitting. He reached down and raised her face with his finger under her chin.

"I hope you know that I love you and want you to be happy. Maybe I am an egotist, but I think I can make you happy. I will leave now, but please think about what I've said and give me a chance" He leaned over and kissed her gently turned and walked out of the unit.


End file.
